A number of countries are engaged in reviewing their curriculum in order to make it relevant for the development of their young people for life and work in 21st century (Le Metais, 2003; Pinar, 2003; Pepper, 2008; O’Donnell and Sargent, 2008). Following a consultation process initiated by a National Debate on Education (SEED, 2003) a new curriculum framework is being developed in Scotland. A Curriculum for Excellence aims to create a unified set of purposes and principles throughout the early years, primary and secondary school in order to improve the learning, attainment and achievement of 3 – 18 year olds. Draft Experiences and Outcomes for each curriculum area were released from November 2007 until May 2008. The purpose of publishing them initially in draft form was to allow for engagement with the education profession and other stakeholders before refinement and finalisation. Consequently, the release of the Draft Experiences and Outcomes were accompanied by an engagement strategy to provide opportunities for feedback from the main stakeholder groups – teachers, parents, employers and representatives from local authorities, colleges and universities (November 2007-December 2008). This engagement process was led by Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS). The University of Glasgow was commissioned by LTS to undertake a study to collect, collate, analyse and report data on feedback received. The paper focuses on the engagement strategy and the contribution that teachers’ feedback made to the process of change by shaping and refining the new curriculum framework. The questions addressed in the paper are: what contribution did the teachers’ feedback make to curriculum development; how was the feedback used to refine and shape the curriculum; what were the benefits and challenges of using the teachers’ feedback gained during the engagement process? The discussion of these questions draws on the feedback from teachers and local authority education personnel about the engagement process and about their role in curriculum development at school, local authority and national level (including analysis, design and evaluation activities). The discussion is underpinned by an analysis of models of change and the importance of engaging teachers in the process from the outset as change agents in the construction and development of the curriculum (Fullan, 1999; Kirk and MacDonald, 2001).

A mixed methods approach was used to collect feedback via online questionnaires, school trialling proforma, CPD events and focus groups convened to discuss each set of Draft Experiences and Outcomes. The official trialling process involved a series of pilots conducted in a range of classroom settings across all sectors over a six-month period. A total of 256 trialling questionnaires were returned from schools participating in the process. Two hundred and forty-one participants took part in twenty focus group discussions on the Draft Experiences and Outcomes for each area of the curriculum. Telephone interviews were conducted with thirty-two local authority officers with responsibility for coordinating the school-based trials.

The research study itself played a part in the engagement process. The Interim Report (University of Glasgow, 2008) became a working document as the views of the profession and other key stakeholders were used by the writing teams in LTS to edit and refine the draft guidance. Analysis of teachers’ feedback indicated a willingness and desire to be involved in curriculum development and suggested that more opportunities should be made available for greater coherence and partnership working across stakeholder groups to discuss, share and extend the contribution of different groups to Curriculum for Excellence. The greater scope for teacher autonomy and the exercise of involvement and informed professional judgement was frequently seen as re-professionalising, especially by teachers working in primary schools. It was acknowledged that the new flexibility brought its own challenges and many teachers emphasised the need for professional development opportunities to go hand-in-hand with curriculum development and implementation